In general, cleaning and laundry detergent compositions exhibit benefits such as soil detergency, anti soil-redeposition, and dye transfer inhibition.
The prime purpose of a cleaner and detergent is to render the textile or surface free from stains and soils. In most laundering processes such as conventional home washing machines or hand washing with detergent bars, the elimination of stains and soils in a washing cycle is a complex task. For example, synthetic fibers tend to be hydrophobic and readily accumulate contaminates such as dirt, oils and greases; which can be difficult to remove. Moreover, even assuming that the undesirable materials are removed from the textile and/or a fairly clean textile material is being washed; oftentimes soil remaining in the wash water is redeposited onto the textile material prior to the end of the wash cycle. Hence, when the textile material is removed from the washing machine and subsequently dried, it has not been properly cleaned. Thus, textile materials after use rarely assume a truly clean appearance, but instead tend to gray and/or yellow due to the soil and/or oily materials being deposited or redeposited and remaining thereon.
Typical soil release agents that have been developed for synthetic fibers and fabrics include the copolymers of ethylene glycol and terephthalic acid for the treatment of various synthetic fibers and fabrics, such as Dacron®, Fortrel®, Kodel® and Blue C® Polyester. Such high molecular weight (e.g., 40,000 to 50,000 M.W.) polyesters containing random ethylene terephthalate/polyethylene glycol terephthalate units have been used as soil release compounds in laundry detergent compositions as disclosed in U.S. Pat. Nos. 3,962,152 and 3,959,230.
There are many known polymeric ASR agents. Typical examples include carboxymethyl cellulose (CMC), modified cellulose ethers, polyesters, polyethylene glycol polyester copolymers, hydroxyl terminated polyurethanes, polyacrylic acids and their salts, polymers of vinylidene ester/unsaturated acids or anhydrides, fluorocarbons, styrenic acrylates, poly(ethylene glycol-co-vinyl acetate), bentonites, and ethanol amines. They are water soluble and typically negatively charged materials. Carboxymethyl cellulose (CMC) is a commonly used ASR agent and it is used at low levels (0.5-2.0 percent) in commercially available laundry detergents.
French Patent 805,718 (1936), assigned to Kalle and Co. A. G, discloses sodium carboxy methylcellulose (CMC) as an additive in synthetic detergents to help keep soil from re-depositing on clothes in the laundry.
Journal of the American Oil Chemist's Society; 40, no. 11; 1963; pp 669, discloses that adsorption of CMC on cotton demonstrates exceptional efficiency in the presence of nonionic polymers (i.e., PVP or PVA), the polymer adsorption on soil particles enhances the cleaning effect.
U.S. Pat. No. 4,579,681 (A) (1986), assigned to GAF, discloses polymers and co-polymers of vinyl caprolactam (VCL) are useful as an additive in synthetic detergents to help keep soil from re-depositing on clothes in the laundry. Preferred examples of co-polymers include poly(vinyl caprolactam-co-vinyl pyrrolidone (VP)) and poly(vinyl caprolactam-co-vinyl pyrrolidone-co-dimethylaminoethyl methacrylate (DMAEMA)).
Another U.S. Pat. No. 4,444,561 (A1) (1984), assigned to BASF, discloses polymers and co-polymers of vinyl lactams useful as an additive in synthetic detergents to help keep soil from re-depositing on clothes in the laundry.
Yet another U.S. Pat. No. 5,142,020 (A) (1992), assigned to BASF, discloses polyesters comprised of nonionic surfactants as condensed units are useful as an ASR agents.
U.S. Pat. No. 6,498,136 (B2) (2002), assigned to National Starch, discloses polymers having a hydrophilic backbone and hydrophobic moieties are useful as soil suspension agents in powdered detergents.
Another troublesome and persistent problem during laundering operations is the tendency of some colored fabrics to release dye into the laundering solution which dye is then transferred onto other fabrics. Dye transfer during the wash cycle is caused by higher water temperature, longer cycle time, and much higher surfactant concentration in the wash cycle, as compared to the less stringent conditions of the rinse cycle.
Dye transfer inhibitors (DTI), such as PVP, appear to solubilize into the wash water to scavenge the free dye molecules, thus suspending the dyes and preventing them from redepositing onto fabrics.
U.S. Pat. No. 5,458,810 relates to dye transfer inhibiting compositions comprising polyamine N-oxide containing polymers and enzymes. The polyamine N-oxide polymers provide a stabilizing effect for enzymes formulated in detergent compositions.
U.S. Pat. No. 5,849,684 relates to detergent additives comprising dye transfer inhibitors, and process for making them. The compositions include a powder builder such as zeolite and the dye transfer inhibition polymers polyamine N-oxide, and copolymers of N-vinylpyrrolidone and N-vinylimidazole.
EP0754748 relates to dye transfer inhibiting compositions comprising a polymer selected from water-soluble vinylpyridine copolymers. Examples of suitable copolymerizing groups included formic acid, arylic acid, maleic acid, vinylpyrrolidone, vinyl acetate. Preferred copolymers are based on 4-vinylpyridine with vinylpyrrolidone, acrylic acid and maleic acid.
Thus soil release agents (SRA), anti soil-redeposition agents (ASR) and Dye Transfer inhibitors (DTI) are key functional ingredients in cleaning compositions, i.e., textiles, laundry and hard surfaces such as carpet-cleaning and textile treating.
It would be beneficial to have a composition comprising a combination of polymers for blended benefit of ASR and DTI or a dual functional ASR/DTI polymer.
The present application discloses functional polymeric additives (FPA) with a purpose to boost the cleaner and detergent's ability in providing enhanced anti soil-redeposition and/or dye transfer inhibitory activities. In accordance with certain embodiments, the series of co-polymers described herein can function as ASR and DTI agents thereby minimizing the number of additives combined with detergents. The co-polymers may be derived from hydrophobic monomers such as N-vinyl caprolactam, vinyl acetate, vinyl esters, acrylated glycols, methacrylamide, C1 to C12 alkyl- and C1 to C12 dialkylacrylamide, C1 to C12 alkyl- and C1 to C12 dialkylmethacrylamide, C1 to C12 alkyl acrylate, C1 to C12 alkyl methacrylate, 4-butyl phenyl maleimide, and octyl acrylamide.
In accordance with certain embodiments, hydrolyzable monomeric units are incorporated into the co-polymers/terpolymers to provide biodegradability to the resulting co-polymers/terpolymers thus making the present invention environmentally favorable.